1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a vehicle tailgate and bed arrangement. More particularly, it relates to a tailgate or tailgate cladding having an arc shaped member for maintaining a substantially constant width gap between a vehicle tailgate and bed.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicles with a tailgate and bed are sometimes used to deliver or haul loose and/or granular material. A problem arises when hauling this type of material. The problem involves a gap that exists between the tailgate and the bed when the tailgate is open. Loose material collects in the gap during loading or unloading when the tailgate is open. The material collected in the gap prevents the tailgate from being closed. The material must them be cleaned from the gap before the tailgate can be shut. If the loose material is rock or other rigid material, the shutting of the tailgate can damage the tailgate, bed or associated hinge assemblies.
There are various solutions in the prior art directed towards solving this problem. The solutions involve covering the gap in some fashion. One solution, for example, covers the gap with a piece of flexible material spanning the gap and attached to both the tailgate and the bed. This solution prevents debris from falling into the gap but causes other problems. If the material is too flexible, it will sag and become stuck in the gap, thus causing the same problem it was meant to alleviate. If the material is too rigid, it will create additional forces and hinder the normal operation of the tailgate. Over time, the material will degrade and may break due to the repeated opening and closing of the tailgate. Additionally, some vehicles include removable tailgates. This solution makes the tailgate unremovable.
A second method for preventing debris from accumulating in the gap involves using an additional flap spanning the gap and hingedly connected to either the tailgate or bed. This does prevent debris from falling into the gap. However, it hinders the working area of the truck bed. It will create a hump that must be traversed when items are removed from and loaded into the bed of the vehicle. Further, the flap creates problems when unloading granular material. The flap is also subject to multiple forces when loading and unloading the vehicle. These forces can easily break or damage the flap. Finally, because the flap is hinged it also has a gap area that may be subject to collecting debris and inhibiting its operation.
The prior art shows various arrangements for preventing debris from accumulating in the gap between a vehicle tailgate and bed. However, the prior art does not show a simple cost effective arrangement for protecting the gap without entirely covering the gap with a secondary piece of material.
In light of the present need for protecting the gap between a vehicle tailgate and bed and preventing the accumulation of debris within the gap, a brief summary of the present invention is presented. Some simplifications and omission may be made in the following summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the present invention, but not to limit its scope. Detailed descriptions of a preferred exemplary embodiment adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention concepts will follow in later sections.
A vehicle tailgate and bed arrangement is disclosed. The tailgate is movable over a range of motion between an open and a closed position. The vehicle bed surface has a rear edge and the tailgate includes a convexly arced surface defining a gap with the rear edge. The convexly arced surface maintains the gap at a substantially constant width along the entire range of motion of the tailgate.
In another embodiment, a vehicle tailgate and bed arrangement is disclosed. The tailgate has a range of motion between an open and a closed position. The vehicle bed surface has a rear edge. A first cladding overlies the tailgate and has a convexly arced surface defining a gap with the rear edge. The convexly arced surface maintains the gap at a substantially constant width along the entire range of motion of the tailgate.
In another embodiment, a vehicle tailgate and bed arrangement is disclosed. The tailgate is movable over a range of motion between an open and a closed position. The vehicle bed surface has a rear edge and the tailgate includes a convexly arced surface defining a gap with the rear edge. The convexly arced surface maintains the gap at a substantially constant width along the entire range of motion of the tailgate. The gap defines the top opening of a debris clearance area, which also includes a bottom opening for ejecting debris from the debris clearance area.
In yet another embodiment, a vehicle having a bed and a tailgate with a hinge member for swingably mounting the tailgate to the vehicle about an axis of rotation for movement between an open and a closed position is disclosed. It includes a first cladding covering at least a portion of the tailgate. The first cladding includes an arced surface. It also includes a second cladding covering at least a portion of the bed and having a rear edge. The arced portion is located between the axis of rotation and the rear edge of the vehicle bed and maintains a substantially constant distance away from the rear edge of the second cladding as the tailgate is moved between the open and closed positions.